Dealing with classifications can be tricky. For instance, what do you do with a dolphin? Yes, it has fins, swims, and lives in the water. But it also breathes through lungs instead of gills, gives birth to live young instead of laying eggs, and even nurses its young with milk! To some, whether a dolphin should be considered a fish or a mammal is all a matter of semantics; it really doesn’t matter what category you put it in, does it? All the same, there are still clear-cut lines that define the difference. Now apply this to firearms, and you have a similar situation dealing with the difference between a carbine and a rifle.
Both carbines and rifles have been used over the years in warfare and other arenas, however, the lines that divide these two types of firearms haven’t always been so clearly defined. To someone who hasn’t handled one, trying to ascertain whether a certain gun is a rifle or a carbine can be a difficult challenge. Even those who’ve fired both kinds hundreds of times may not know if they don’t know exactly what to look for! So if you’ve been wondering what the difference between a carbine and a rifle is, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll help you understand what makes each of these firearms exactly what they are.
What Is a Carbine?
The word carbine comes from the French carabine, which refers to calvary troopers. The word carabine itself comes from an Old French word carabin, which simply means a soldier armed with a musket. Carbines are long gun firearms that have a shorter barrel than a rifle or a musket. Many models are simply shortened versions of full-length rifles that shoot the same ammo; others, however, fire lower-powered ammo, sometimes even kinds designed specially for pistols. Though they can be used for shooting or target practice, it seems their primary purpose is associated mainly with warfare.
The carbine’s less hefty size and weight makes it easier to work with. They are usually given to high-mobility troops such as paratroopers and special-ops soldiers. They can also be given to artillery, logistics, mounted, or other non-infantry personnel. It’s also becoming more popular to issue carbines to soldiers on the front line in order to counterbalance the increasing weight of their other equipment. Take, for instance, the US Army’s M4, which is a carbine that comes standard issue.
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History
The carbine was originally developed specifically as a lighter, shorter weapon for calvary. Their length was specially implemented so soldiers could load and fire these guns from horseback (however, this rarely happened; try doing anything requiring an ample amount of dexterity on a moving horse to see why). However, calvary troops still took them along to use when not moving, as carrying something longer may have made it more dangerous to navigate sword fights or pursue infantry. Though carbines had their advantages, they were generally less accurate and less powerful than your standard muskets.
Spencer Carbine
In the early 19th century, carbines were often madetotally apart from infantry rifles. One interesting case is that of the Spencer carbine used by the North towards the end of the US Civil War. This was one of the first breechloading, repeating weapons ever made. It had a removable, spring-powered tube magazine found in the buttstock that could hold seven rounds and be reloaded by putting in spare tubes. In the late 19th century, it was common for certain nations to make bolt-action rifles in both full-length and carbine forms. One popular gun from this time period was the lever-action Winchester carbine.
Standard Carbines
After World War I, the trend of making battle rifles shorter evolved into the standard usage of carbines. This started with the US Model 1903 Springfield; other nations picked up on the trend shortly after. Following World War II, the way firearms were used in combat continued to change, and the need for a gun specialized for suppressive fire and shorter ranges only grew. Now, the M4 carbine comes standard issue, and other carbines are commonly used by different personnel in the armed forces.
What Is a Rifle?
The next step in understanding the difference between a carbine and a rifle is to comprehend what exactly a rifle is. Rifles are long-barreled firearms made for precision shooting. They’re held with both hands and are meant to be braced against the shoulder during firing. Their barrels have helical grooves (also known as rifling) cut into the bore wall. This is actually where this category of firearm gets its name; the grooves are meant to cause the bullet to spiral, making the gun itself a much more accurate instrument of hunting and warfare. They’re used quite a lot by law enforcement and in shooting sports, too.
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History
Some of the earliest experiments with rifling trace back to 15th century Europe. It was well known at this time that twisting the tail feathers of arrows gave archers increased accuracy. However, it was in the early 18th century that English mathematician Benjamin Robins discovered than elongated bullets retain the same momentum and kinetic energy as a musket ball yet could slice through the air with greater ease.
Made in the USA
One of the first successful rifles (the long rifle) was developed in Kentucky. They had longer barrels with helical grooves cut into them, making them quite accurate compared to most other weapons. During the Revolutionary War, such rifles were often used by frontiersmen. Ten different companies of riflemen were authorized by Congress, and some of them proved influential over the course of the war.
One such company was Morgan’s Rifleman, who were massively successful during the Battle of Saratoga. With their weapons’ accuracy, Morgan’s shooters could take out cannoneers and officers with unheard of ease. The advantages given by these weapons are often considered pivotal in certain battles and may have had a huge overall effect on the outcome of the war itself.
Later Evolutions
In the 19th century, rifles started using cartridges and became breech-loading. They’ve continued to evolve and implement new technology throughout the years, and today, we have a large variety of rifles that make use of different functions and are themselves used for different things. Take, for instance, air rifles, which can use compressed air to propel bullets instead of combustion. Semi-automatic rifles reject and reload rounds after every shot you take. Likewise, there are rifles that can be created from a 3D printer! It’s safe to say these inventions have come a long way over the past several centuries.
The Difference Between a Carbine and a Rifle
Now that you know their definitions and histories, it’s finally time to get down to business and learn what the difference between a carbine and a rifle is. However, it should be noted that they can be quite similar and often have overlapping characteristics. All carbines are rifles, but not all rifles are carbines. In fact, when many people think of carbines, they simply think of shorter forms of already existing rifles. However, there are still some other things to consider that may help you tell the difference between the two.
Differences of Opinion
Some are convinced that any rifle deemed to be compact and lightweight is dubbed a carbine. Some say that if the firearm in question has a barrel with a length of more than 20 inches, then it’s a rifle. It’s also said by some that a rifle chambered for a pistol caliber is also automatically classified as a carbine.
Functionally, carbines are used for short-range firing and often on secret missions; rifles are used for wars and prolonged activities that make proper ammunition and fast speeds necessary. Likewise, carbines fire one bullet at a time, while some rifles are able to fire several.
It should be known that while shorter forms of existing rifles are created and dubbed carbines due to their size, it’s also true that carbines can also be made from scratch; there doesn’t have to be a pre-existing rifle in order for a manufacturer to create a carbine.
Conclusion
Classifications can be pretty tricky, especially when the thing you’re trying to classify is so closely interrelated with something else. For instance, what do you do with dolphins? Or what about a hotdog? They’re meat stuck in between bread: does that make them a sandwich? To some, these might be stupid questions, and even though there are answers to them (or at least to the dolphin one), they still make you think about how and why we classify things in certain categories. This is also the case when it comes to certain firearms, such as carbines and rifles.
So what is the difference between a carbine and a rifle? The easy answer is that carbines are shorter and more lightweight. However, as we’ve seen, there are also other subtle differences in form and function that can determine whether a firearm is a carbine or a rifle.